Ten on Ten - May 2014

listening to one of my favorite book series as I get ready for the day

wrapping birthday presents

Heather decided to take the girls to Lowe's and I went along to help - the girls had so much fun!

we had time to stop by the park on the way to lunch....the girls had fun swinging!

family lunch at Little Italy - one of our favorite places!

starting the girls early!

helped Daddy work on changing out switches and outlets - that is a much bigger job than it seems like!

ready to head out for Phillip's birthday dinner.....but first Anna has to clean up her room!

gyros for dinner at Niko's - a relatively new eatery in town

no present can be opened without help when there are two little girls around

Linking up with other Ten on Ten bloggers here

Mother's Day

As Facebook is flooded with photos and posts around Mother's Day this weekend, I need to say out loud that I have a love/not-so-much-love relationship with Mother's Day.   

I love my mother and greatly appreciate all that she has done and continues to do for me.

I love my grandmothers and am so thankful for the legacy they leave with me.

I love my sister and see and appreciate the way that she mothers my two spectacular nieces - even (or especially) on the hard days.

I love my aunts and cousins who are mothers and see and appreciate their relationship with their kids.

I have many, many friends that are mothers. They are smart and funny and kind and are raising their kids to be the same.

Then, things get fuzzy and painful.....

I think of my friends who lost their mothers too young.  Or even later in life.

I think of friends who have uneasy relationships with their mother. Or no relationship at all.

I think of my friends who have lost children.  As my great-grandmother Trietschie once said, "mothers aren't supposed to bury their kids."

I think of my friends who have never been able to have any babies at all.  Or not the second or third (or more) that they had planned. 

I think of my friends who, like me, desperately long to be a mother, but have yet to find their husband with which to start a family. (and please don't spend your effort trying to convince me how you can be a mom without a husband. I know it can happen - it is not on my radar).

And Mother's Day somehow becomes another somewhat ridiculous, fake holiday that often hurts more than it helps.....